Chapter One
From her crouched position filling the copy machine
drawer, Isabelle spied her cousin Kendrick in the doorway
and knew the next few minutes would be worse than a bad case
of chicken pox. Irritating as hell and no scratching
allowed. Already he blocked her only exit from the cramped
room—that was no accident. She drew a searing breath and
straightened to her full height, determined to confront him.
Kendrick wore black chinos and a white Oxford shirt, but
the preppy clothes couldn’t hide the predator. With a
shudder, she remembered everything about him she would
rather forget. Despite her resolve, the small room pressed
in, and she backed away.
Damn.
His leer forced her to dig her heels into the floor and a
relentless gnawing tore at her stomach.
Lawyer mode. Now.
"Kendrick, it’s been a while."
Three years, two months and thirteen days.
"I’m here to see my father," he said. "I saw you in here.
Thought I’d say hello."
She leaned against the copy machine, folded her arms and
squeezed until her fingernails bit into her biceps. After
years spent grappling to rise above her brokenness,
something in his tone—that confident, you’ll-never-get-me
attitude—shattered her. "Well, I’m sure your father is
waiting for you."
"I’m a few minutes early."
"Your father prides himself on the comfortable waiting
area. Maybe you can find something to read while you wait."
Kendrick ignored her suggestion and moved into the
compact room. She remained still, but tracked him with her
eyes, watching him until he halted a foot from her. Too close.
A quick glance across his shoulder revealed the safety of
the outer corridor where two associates spoke in hushed
voices. Assistance was nearby if needed, but screaming for
help against the boss’s son? How humiliating. Not to mention
having to explain it. "I have a client in my office."
He inched closer, and Isabelle held up a hand to stop
him. Silly her for believing he would let her leave. She had
to get away.
"I need to talk to you," he said.
Okay. Deep breath. She concentrated on diffusing the
internal bedlam this man caused. Get a grip. Don’t give him
the control. Don’t look at him.
After a few seconds, her thundering pulse settled to its
normal rhythm. She could do this.
"I’m in the middle of a client meeting." She turned, made
the copy she’d come in for, grabbed her papers and attempted
to push by him.
Kendrick sidestepped to block her exit. Unbelievable. She
was trapped in here with him. Close enough to feel his
breath on her skin.
"I only need a couple of minutes, Isabelle."
Never. He didn’t deserve it. Not after what he’d taken
from her already.
She met his gaze straight on, their eyes locking for an
instant. "I don’t have time, Kendrick."
"I have an offer for you."
Any offer from him could result in her losing a slice of
her soul. Her answer would certainly be no. She found
triumph in that. Telling him no. Definitively.
She’d let him say what he needed to, indulge in saying no
and then boot him out. "Two minutes."
"Oh, Isabelle. You do amuse me."
She made a show of checking her watch. "Now it’s one
minute."
"You know I’ve bought property in Ohio, correct?"
Oh, she knew. She was thankful every day that the state
of Pennsylvania normally provided a barrier between them.
Living on the Jersey Shore rewarded her with a sense of
ease, and Kendrick being in the area chipped that comfort.
"If you need legal advice, talk to someone else. I won’t be
objective."
He laughed, his big white teeth flashing. Isabelle ground
the heel of her black pump into the floor. Her leg ached
from the pressure, but the pain would keep her focused.
"Anyway," he said. "I’d like to have you visit. Take a
look at the place. Maybe stay in one of the bungalows. It’s
a wonderful piece of property."
"No."
He held up his hands again. "I know you’re still angry
over the misunderstanding, but let’s put it behind us. We’re
family. I know my father would appreciate you letting go of
the hostility. Come see the compound. Stay awhile. You’ll be
taken care of. Any need or want you have will be fulfilled
by one of the staff members."
What was all this babbling about his compound?
She narrowed her eyes and let his comment about his
father—her boss—roll off her. Convincing herself to accept a
job from Kendrick’s father hadn’t been easy, but working at
one of New Jersey’s top criminal defense firms would
catapult her career. Her cousin’s goading wouldn’t
jeopardize that. "I need to get back to work."
"Not staff, really," he continued. "Tenants, I guess.
Fifty of us live on the property. Some in the main house and
some in bungalows scattered throughout the hundred acres.
You’d have your own place, of course."
A flicker of perverse excitement twinkled in his
blue-green eyes, and sickness swirled in her stomach. She
needed to get him out of there before the toxic waste he
spewed consumed her. "I’m not interested."
Kendrick reached down and tugged at the sleeves of his
shirt, but made no move to leave. Idiot.
And yet, she remained wedged in the room. With a client
waiting in her office. The brutal pressure of these few
minutes finally overtook her, and a chill penetrated her
bones, puckering her skin.
Don’t let him win.
He tried the slick smile that always worked on the little
girl she’d once been, and she imagined him bursting into flames.
"I need you, Isabelle. There are…things happening and I
could use your legal expertise. I promise I’ll take good
care of you." He dragged his gaze over her body. "I always
did."
Sick, sick, sick.